


A Day At The Zoo

by frostedshadow



Series: Brothers [2]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Clint has never been to the zoo, Here comes Christmas!, M/M, You don't have to have read the other "Brothers" stories for this to make sense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-21
Updated: 2013-02-21
Packaged: 2017-12-03 04:41:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/694283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frostedshadow/pseuds/frostedshadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint Barton has never been to the zoo. So, it's only natural that he goes with his boyfriend... </p><p>Don't have to have read other stories in Brothers for this to make sense. Just a little back story for Jordan Coulson</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Day At The Zoo

Clint hummed happily to himself. It was 9 am on a Saturday, and Phil was home. Clint was back early from an assignment, and he wanted to surprise Phil. In part, he wanted to try and make up to Phil for his attitude, and mood, in Budapest. Which meant coffee, breakfast, and a morning of answering question. It had taken him two months to get to this point. Of course, it was only a few weeks until Christmas, which meant that, for the first time, Clint might have a guest. Which was a novelty, really. None of his brothers had ever brought a guest over for the Barton family christmas. 

Clint took the stairs two at a time. Normally he would have crept in through a window, but today he felt that using the front door of the apartment building was best. After all, he didn’t want to drop the coffee; Phil could be a bit of a bear if he didn’t have an adequate amount of coffee. Clint used his key, and entered the elevator. As much as he liked exercise, fifteen flights of stair was a little excessive. Not that the apartment building was huge, but Phil had decided that the penthouse was his best option. 

Clint was grinning when he slid his key into Phil’s door. He juggled the take out bag and tray of coffee, and managed to get the door open. He toed his shoes off, slid past the staircase that led to the the bedrooms, and into Phil’s main living space. It was open, with a wall of windows. The large, modern kitchen flowed into the dining room, which flowed into the living room. Phil’s television was on, with some cartoon playing across the screen. Clint was about to comment, when he finally noticed the little boy sitting at Phil’s dinning room table eating pancake, his eyes riveted to the television screen. Phil himself was puttering around his kitchen, making pancakes. He didn’t notice Clint, until he heard the paper take out bag hit the floor. Phil’s head flew up, surprise evident on his face. 

“Daddy? Who’s that?” The little boy asked, clearly surprised. Clint’s head whipped back to the child. The boy was maybe 8 years old, with dark hair, and soft, curious eyes. If Clint had been thinking, he would have noticed that the boy looked an awful lot like Phil. 

“Clint Barton, we work together. Jordan, why don’t you go get ready. You can finish your breakfast, then we can go.” Phil softly ordered his son. Clint was amazed at the change in Phil. His voice was still commanding, but it was softer than anything Clint heard in the field. Phil waited until Jordan disappeared up the stairs to look at Clint. 

“I should have told you- I mean, I was trying to think of the best way to-” 

“I have two older brothers and a twin. I guess we were both holding something back.” Clint cut off Phil’s rambling, if only because it was painful to hear someone so confident stumble like that. 

“You have brothers?” Phil looked like he was on another planet. 

“Yeah. Remember that thing with the agency you all pretend I don’t know about, in Croatia when we were in Budapest? My twin was the head of the team that, well, messed up. It was the first time in either of our lives that I wasn’t able to be there for him. And John, well, he would have been the next best choice, but he’s deployed, and completely unable to take care of anyone else. Which meant James, he’s the oldest, had to go. And, well, James is an experience.” Clint huffed, then picked up the take out bag. “My apology.” 

“My wife had Jordan two years after we were married. She left me when he was three. I guess she thought that a child would make me work less. I just, don’t know anything else.” Phil looked decidedly uncomfortable. Before either man could comment, Jordan ran back into the kitchen, a grin on his face. 

“Are we still going to the zoo, Dad? Is Mr. Barton coming?” Jordan chirped happily. Clint felt his heart clench, at the sound of his name coming from the child. _Phil’s son_. 

“The zoo? I have never been to the zoo.” Clint met Phil’s eyes, letting Phil decide if he wanted Clint to intrude on their day. 

“You have never been to the zoo!?” Jordan had an incredulous look on his face. Phil sighed; knowing his son, the boy would convince him to let Clint come. Not that it would be much of a stretch, because Clint had always been welcome in Phil’s life. If Phil was being honest with himself, having Clint know about Jordan was a huge relief. Phil left Jordan to explain about how awesome the zoo was, and went back to the kitchen. He put the made pancakes into the fridge, turned the frying pan off, and dumped his dishes in the sink. When he returned to the table, Jordan was talking about giraffes. 

“If we are going, then we should probably go now. Clint, do you want to join us?” Phil led the pair to the front hall closet. He avoided looking at Clint, as he shrugged on his own jacket, then held out Jordan’s. 

“But Dad, you didn’t eat any pancakes.” Jordan slipped his arms into his jacket, and stood there patently while Phil zipped it up for him. 

“Clint has breakfast, I will eat while we walk. Gloves or mittens?” Phil held a pair of each out for Jordan to inspect. Jordan took the gloves from his dad, and put them on, while Phil tugged a toque over his son’s head. The last bit of clothing was a long, black scarf. 

“Are you coming, Mr. Barton?” Jordan looked up at Clint expectantly. Clint looked from Jordan, than to Phil, and saw a similar expression on Phil’s face. Clint knew that this would be the first of many times that the Coulson boys would get him to do something he wasn’t sure he wanted to do. 

“Sure, why not? Sounds like fun.” Clint’s last comment was drowned out by Jordan’s gleeful cry. Phil smiled, and tugged the tray of coffees from Clint’s hand. He pulled one cup out, which he handed to Clint. After the other cup was out, Phil tossed the tray in the general direction of his kitchen. With that task now complete, Phil put his own scarf on, and ushered Jordan and Clint from his home. Clint followed the pair in silence, unable to believe his luck. Today, he would get to spend time with, quite possibly, the most precious person in Phil’s life. Someone so precious that no one else knew about him. 

“So, what exactly is in that bag?” Phil asked, seconds before he snatched it from Clint. Jordan chuckled happily at his dad, and skipped ahead of the pair, and down the sidewalk. 

“Um, breakfast wraps.” Clint replied, slightly unsteady. He was amazed at how much energy the boy before them had. 

“My favorite.” Phil pulled out one of the wraps, then tossed the bag back to Clint. Only Clint’s reflexes saved the bag from falling on the ground. Again. 

“Hurry up, Dad, Mr. Barton!” Jordan skipped back to them, a grin making his face shine. 

“Sorry, buddy, but walking and eating is tough. Don’t worry, we will have plenty of time to see everything.” Phil reassured his son, a smile lighting his eyes. Clint wasn’t quite sure if he had ever seen that smile before. He had Phil smiles similar to this one before, just not quite as... bright. 

“Whats your favorite animal, Mr. Barton?” Jordan asked suddenly, breaking Clint from his thoughts. 

“Honey badgers.” Clint responded, his face calm, and expressionless. Phil huffed a laugh, and took a quick swig of coffee. 

“Honey badgers?” Jordan looked decidedly confused. 

“Honey badger don’t give a... doesn’t care.” Clint quickly amended the saying, when he noticed Phil’s glare. “Or, I guess you could say hawks are my favorite.” 

“Hawks? Hawks aren’t very cool.” Jordan let the honey badger comment slip, especially when his dad had _that look_ on his face. 

“Hawks are awesome! They have amazing eyesight, and they swoop in and snatch things and...” Clint trailed off, as he noticed Jordan staring at him and Phil shaking with laughter. Clint hunched his shoulders, and ignored the two Coulsons. 

“Don’t be a poor sport, Clint.” Phil chuckled, after he had let Clint pout for five minutes. 

“I don’t know what you mean.” Clint pretend huffed, and he sent a quick wink to Jordan. 

“Yeah, Dad, nothing is wrong.” Jordan joined in instantly. 

“See, we are all good.” Clint tossed his coffee cup out in a nearby garbage can, then swept Jordan up, and into his arms. Jordan shrieked with laughter, and Phil grinned into his own coffee cup. By now, his coffee was cold, and snow was starting to fall. But none of that mattered, because Clint and Jordan were getting along. 

“Look, Dad! The zoo!” Jordan called suddenly, from his new spot atop Clint’s shoulders. 

“Yes, I believe, however, that they prefer boys to walk in on their own two feet.” Phil commented dryly. Clint quirked an eyebrow, then swung the happy boy down from his shoulders. Phil smiled at the pair, then gently took his son’s hand. 

“For three, please.” Phil told the ticket seller, and before Clint knew it, Phil had paid for the admission for everyone. 

“Phil, I could have paid for my own ticket.” Clint protested softly. Phil smiled at the other man. 

“Really? Because I thought, when on a date, someone paid for everything.” Phil said the words lightly. He was tugged towards the chimpanzee exhibit before he could truly appreciate the stunned look on Clint’s face. 

“Wait, this is a date? But Jordan...” Clint whispered into Phil’s ear, once he had caught up to the pair. 

“Well, you did come over to apologize. And Jordan likes you. Don’t worry, Clint.” Phil murmured back. 

“Isn’t this cool, Clint?” Jordan was suddenly there, bouncing in front of Clint. Clint smiled at the boy, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. 

“Yeah, this is. Whats your favorite exhibit?” Clint asked, He laughed when the boy took his hand, and tugged him off in another direction. Phil shook his head, and followed them at a much more leisurely pace. He knew where Jordan was headed, and he knew that Clint would protect Jordan, if for no other reason then he was Phil’s son. 

“Wow, they are so tall.” Phil heard the wonder in Jordan’s voice as he stared at the giraffes. Phil smiled warmly, when he saw the pair. Jordan had his feet on the railing, with his back pressed into Clint’s stomach. Clint had his arms around Jordan, with his hands firmly on the top rail. Both were staring up at the tall, majestic animals. 

“Nice to see you guys are having fun without me.” Phil commented dryly. Both of them jerked their heads toward him, and Phil was struck with the fact that they both looked like boys. In reality, Clint was basically a child, and Phil was once against struck with the fact that Clint had never been to a zoo. That Clint had not had a normal childhood. 

“Aren’t they great, Dad.” Jordan smiled when he saw his dad, and turned back to stare at the animals. 

“Yeah, they are Jordan.” Phil took in his son’s wonder, and the wonder on Clint’s face. He rested a hand on Clint’s shoulder. Clint shifted slightly, so he was pressing slightly against Phil’s hand. 

“Can we go see the penguins now?” Jordan asked suddenly. When Clint didn’t respond fast enough, Jordan pushed against Clint and practically sprang from the man’s arms. Clint coughed slightly, when his stomach was on the receiving end of Jordan’s elbow. 

“Careful, Jordan.” Phil admonished softly, doing his best not to laugh at the mock wounded look on Clint’s face. 

“Oh, sorry, Mr. Barton.” Jordan smiled brightly at Clint, any look of apology on his face swallowed by his grin. 

“Oh, sure you are. Come on, lets go see some penguins.” Clint took Jordan’s hand, and the pair raced off again, before Phil could comment. 

\--- 

In hindsight, a trip to the zoo was probably not the smartest thing for Clint to join them on. Phil should have noticed, should have realized. How many times had he read Clint’s file? More times than he cared to admit, enough times to have it memorized. Definitely enough times to know that seeing lions again might not have gone over well. To be fair, Phil hadn’t really expected Clint to show up. Except, well, Phil should have known that Clint would come crawling back sooner or later. And, the lions had been only slightly worse than the hawks. 

No, Phil was fairly sure that he and Jordan would not be taking Clint with them to the zoo again anytime soon. Because, as Clint had so aptly demonstrated, he really cared for lions. Enough so, that security had to throw Clint out when he haphazardly tried to free the lions. Clint had been remarkably apologetic, and had taken them out for supper. While Jordan was thrilled with the adventure, Phil knew he would be in trouble later. Jordan would probably tell his mother, which meant that his _darling_ ex wife would yell at him next time they saw each other. 

“Phil? I am sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Phil felt Clint’s strong arms wrap around his waist. Phil resisted the urge to sigh. He knew that Clint would blame himself for the trouble. It didn’t help that Phil had spent the last ten minutes leaning on his sink, staring into the mirror. Now, he met Clint’s eyes in the mirror. 

“Don’t be. Jordan had a blast. So did I.” Phil hummed softly in reply. He smiled at Clint, his eyes wrinkling. 

“Are you sure? Because you look kind of serious.” Clint pressed a soft kiss to the corner of Phil’s forehead. 

“Hmm. Just imaging how Jordan’s mother is going to react. She isn’t exactly receptive to same sex relationships.” Phil sighed, and leaned harder into Clint. 

“Sounds like a piece of work. At least you have Jordan.” Clint basked in the warmth Phil provided, and curled the other man more into his body. 

“Yes. The one joy from my marriage.” Phil smiled grew, part from thoughts of his son, and part because of Clint. 

“Must make Christmas interesting...” Clint trailed off suddenly, and pulled away awkwardly from Phil. Phil quirked an eyebrow, and spun around to face Clint 

“Clint? What’s wrong?” Phil asked softly. He reached out a hand, and lightly grabbed Clint’s wrist. When the other man didn’t respond, Phil sighed. He gently tugged on Clint’s wrist, and led the younger man into the bedroom. H settled them both on his bed, then Phil turned his stare on Clint. 

“Um... I guess the answer will be no now.” Clint mumbled, more to himself than anything. 

“Well, I can’t tell you that, until I know what the actual question is. Clint?” Phil dropped the teasing tone, and gently grabbed Clint’s chin. He pulled up softly, to make Clint raise his head, and meet Phil’s eyes. 

“Well, the only time my brothers get together tends to be Christmas. If, well, John hasn’t been deployed, or James isn’t on a mission. Sometimes, we bring someone, and I was wondering if you wanted to come. But, well, we go to London, because William and I are the only ones who can get away, and you probably want to spend it with Jordan. This was silly, just forget it.” Clint rambled on. The more he spoke, the redder his cheeks got. 

“I was wondering where you disappeared to every Christmas. If you would still have me, I would love to go. As it happens, this year Jordan is going to Disney World with his mother and her family. I was rather politely told that my presence was not necessary, nor welcome. So, Jordan will be doing something with me a few weeks before.” Phil explained. Clint’s eyes grew wide with disbelief. 

“Fair warning, my family is crazy. And there will be another me. And guns, lots of guns. Plus, well, we like to sneak up on one another. Generally, it’s Will versus James. You will probably be the only non Barton.” Clint’s ramble was cut short by Phil’s lips pressed against his own. 

“Sounds lovely. Provided, of course, that Fury actually gives me the leave.” Phil commented, once the pair broke apart. 

“Um, well, actually...” Clint trailed off, looking slightly sheepish. 

“Clint? What did you do?” Phil asked, suddenly worried. He knew that Clint wouldn’t do anything to intentionally put them in danger, but, well, his priorities could sometimes be skewed when it came to Phil. 

“Nothing bad! I just... _talked_ with Fury. It wasn’t anything big.” Clint grumbled. 

“What aren’t you telling me, Clint? You don’t just talk to Fury.” Phil tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his chest. 

“I might have... well...” Clint was looking anywhere but at Phil. 

“Clint? What did you do?” Phil was close to panic now. 

“Nothing!” Clint insisted. At Phil’s incredulous look, he finally relented. “Okay, I might have shadowed him for a week, when he refused. I might have put laxative in his brownies, milk instead of cream in his coffee, odd alarm times, pins on his chair. You know, the usual sort of thing.” Clint looked anywhere but at Phil. The color slowly drained from Phil’s face. 

“Clint... Did this have anything to do with Fury’s mood last week?” Phil finally managed to ask weakly. 

“Potentially?” Clint hummed, a spark in his eye. 

“Jesus. Please, just, warn me next time.” Phil murmured softly. Clint, concern clear on his face, gently pushed Phil so he was lying down on the bed. 

“Sorry. I’ll try and remember next time.” Clint smiled wolfishly. 

“Even better, lets hope there won’t be a next time.” Phil grumbled back. 

“With all due respect, sir, I don’t think that’s going to be realistic.” Clint laughed outright, when Phil punched him in the stomach. Instead of it softening, his laughter only grew when Phil glared at him. 

“Oops.” Clint chuckled. 

“Bullshit. I can’t believe you did that to Fury! Thank god we are valuable.” Phil moaned. Clint’s face was too much to look at, so Phil pressed his face into Clint’s stomach instead, which only made the man laugh harder. 

“You are so lucky I love you.” Phil huffed softly. 

“Hmm, yeah, I guess I am.” Clint smiled, and relaxed back on the bed. Life was right again, and Phil was going to finally meet his family. 

“Just, one question. How are you not scared of Fury?” Phil finally asked. 

“You’ll find out at Christmas.” Clint replied smoothly. Five seconds of dead silence, the Phil’s swearing, and Clint’s laughter filled the air. Yeah, this was going to be a good Christmas.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I am sincerely shocked that this is over 3000 words... I honestly, only thought it was going to be 1000 words... I hope you guys enjoyed it :) Let me know if you are interested in a follow-up Christmas story! 
> 
> Oh, and sorry about the ending... I wasn't entirely sure how I wanted to finish it, so I just did.


End file.
